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Ridiculously Good Turkey Spanakopita Burgers

Ridiculously Good Turkey Spanakopita Burgers are the best burger you’ll ever eat. They’re full of classic Greek ingredients like feta, Kalamata olives and healthy spinach that keep them moist and elevate ho-hum ground turkey to juicy, satisfying, burger perfection.

I am not overstating it when I say my teenage son said these were not only his favorite burger, but the best burger he’s ever had.

Do you know how many burgers a teenage boy has eaten in his life? Hundreds. Thousands. Millions.

So let’s stop and consider that for just a second. The. Best. Burger. EVER.

I agree with him about the high praise here…and I’ll add to it. Not only is it the best burger, it’s the best thing you can do with ground turkey. That’s a lotta bests.

How to make Turkey Spanakopita Burgers

They’re easy. You basically wilt some spinach and onion…

…and combine that with ground turkey, a few herbs and spices, crumbled feta and salty Kalamata olives and you’re nearly done. (Be sure to let your dog in the kitchen so he can be tortured by the excellent smells!)

I like to cook them in a skillet (as opposed to grilling outside), because I have more control.

They take 5 or so minutes a side (or test them with an instant-read thermometer…160F in the center should do it).

Let me answer a couple of questions in advance

How can you make Turkey Spanakopita Burgers low-carb? For bun-eaters, a pretzel bun or brioche bun will be amazing. For carb-counters, this burger works just fine tucked into a lettuce leaf. Or placed atop a lightly dressed green salad.

Can you use a box of frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry? Sure, if you want to. But let me convince you to use fresh. It’s so, so much better with fresh spinach, and with fresh, you can just barely wilt it (you have control in the skillet), which makes a far better burger eating experience. It only adds a couple of minutes to use fresh. Go for it.

Why are you not adding salt to the burger? This is a peeve of mine. People are constantly oversalting their food, and all you taste is the salt these days. We are using 2 salty ingredients here — feta cheese and Kalamata olives. They contribute the salt, and it is plenty for great flavor! Trust me.

That’s a lotta ingredients. Can I leave some out? Yes, of course! It is better with them in there, but you may absolutely leave out the paprika, coriander, thyme and red pepper flakes. Don’t stress if you don’t have them. It absolutely needs the turkey (obvi!), spinach, onion, garlic, feta, Kalamata and oregano or you’ll be sorry.

Can I grill this instead of cooking it in a skillet? Sure, if you want. Over the course of making these many times, I found I had better control over them when I cooked them in a skillet. Too often when I grilled them, the turkey was more dried out. A skillet with a tiny bit of olive oil allows you to remove them before they get overcooked.

What do we put on top of a Turkey Spanakopita Burger? This burger tastes amazing with nothing on top. Naked. Birthday suit. However, there’s nothing wrong with adding a slice of juicy tomato, and/or a dab of tzatziki sauce if you have some. But really, it needs no further adornment to be ready for prime time. The usual ketchup/mustard/pickles would be waaaaay wrong on this. Don’t go there.

What do we serve with these burgers? A green salad, or a tomato salad (if nice tomatoes are in season; if they are not, make a cherry tomato salad because cherry tomatoes are always delicious). French fries, if you dare. Roasted broccoli. This is a large burger, and it already has a green vegetable inside it (spinach!), so you won’t need a lot more on the plate.

How many people does this serve? It makes 4 hefty burgers, or you can get 5 out of it if you need an extra. At 4 burgers, I cut mine in half an only ate half for dinner, and the other half for lunch the next day (it was GREAT as leftovers!). My teenage son and husband were happy with a whole burger each.

What is Spanakopita anyway? Spanakopita is a Greek spinach pie, often a phyllo pastry stuffed with spinach and feta cheese. It’s one of my favorite foods, and I will always order it if it is on the menu.

Let’s make these burgers and get dinner on the table!

Ridiculously Good Turkey Spanakopita Burgers are the best burger you'll ever eat. They're full of classic Greek ingredients like feta, Kalamata olives and healthy spinach that keep them moist and elevate ho-hum ground turkey to juicy, satisfying, burger perfection.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil (divided use)

1 cup chopped onion (red or yellow is fine)

2-4 garlic cloves, pressed or minced

1 (6- to 8-ounce) package fresh baby spinach

1 pound ground turkey (93% or 99% lean is fine)

1 teaspoon dried oregano

15 grinds black pepper

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon ground coriander (optional if you don't have it)

Pinch dried thyme

Pinch crushed red pepper flakes

12-20 pitted Kalamata olives, quartered

1/4 pound feta cheese, crumbled

Directions

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil and onion and sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add garlic and cook for 30-60 seconds, stirring frequently. (You don't want the garlic to burn. By the way, if you like garlic like I do, use the 4 cloves.)

On a cutting board, chop spinach quickly. I grab a fistful, roll it, and cut it into ribbons. You don't get points for finesse with this recipe, so don't overthink it. Add spinach to skillet and cook and stir for another 1-2minutes, just to wilt. Remove mixture from pan to a bowl and allow to cool.

In a large mixing bowl, place turkey, oregano, pepper, paprika, coriander, thyme and red pepper flakes. (If you have a low stock of herbs and spices, just use the oregano and paprika and call it a day.) Blend, using hands. Add olives, cheese and cooled spinach mixture and blend lightly, using hands, until ingredients are relatively evenly distributed.

Using hands, form mixture into 4-5 patties, place in a flat covered container and refrigerate for an hour and up to overnight. This allows the burgers to firm up a bit, otherwise they are very soft from all the add-ins.

When ready to cook, heat a skillet over medium heat, add a tablespoon of olive oil to the pan, add patties and cook for about 5 minutes on each side. (Internal temperature should be 160F degrees, which you can check with an instant-read thermometer if you like.)

Serves 4-5.

Notes

Recipe source: Dorothy Reinhold | Shockingly Delicious

Buns: For bun-eaters, a pretzel bun or brioche bun will be amazing. For carb-counters, this works just fine tucked into a lettuce leaf.

The spinach: Can you use a box of frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry? Sure, if you want to. It's so much better with fresh spinach, and with fresh, you can just barely wilt it (you have control), which makes a far better burger eating experience.

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Hi from Dorothy Reinhold

Welcome to my kitchen, where the oven is always on, and the fridge is packed with delectables!

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